


The Rest of Our Days

by NinetyFiveFathoms



Category: Scrubs (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Kelsox, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-25 03:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinetyFiveFathoms/pseuds/NinetyFiveFathoms
Summary: When Bob Kelso wakes up next to Perry Cox, he reflects on how the years led him there.





	The Rest of Our Days

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place eight years after the end of Season 8, with the assumption that J.D. never leaves Sacred Heart, and some canon-divergent flashbacks going back to Season 6, building off of some inspiration from Season 8 canon (particularly “My Lawyer's In Love”).
> 
> I got the idea for this while listening to the song “Lucky” by Hem, which sets the tone pretty well for what I was aiming for here, particularly given that the band has described it as being about “when you feel so happy that you know, no matter what happens or goes wrong, nothing can take that happiness away.” If you're inclined to give it a listen, it makes for a good accompaniment to this fanfic!

Bob Kelso awoke to the sound of blustering wind outside.  As he felt himself reaching consciousness, he registered deep snoring coming from his right, as well as accompanying vibrations in the firm, king-size mattress.  Slowly, he pried his eyelids open.

Around him were the familiar sky blue walls of his bedroom and the off-white curtains through which the faintest light was filtering, masked by the thick clouds above.  To his left, on the bedside table, was his alarm clock (reading “6:47”) and a picture of his son, Harrison, with his most recent boyfriend, Phillip.  He then turned to his right, to the source of the snoring; nestled within the navy-blue sheets were the graying curls and freckled skin of Perry Cox.

A hint of a smile touched his face as he calmly sighed, reflecting on the events of the past eleven years that had brought him here.

It had all begun with him and Enid divorcing in the inevitable dissolution of a relationship that hadn’t made either of them happy in years.  Naturally, he had publicly exaggerated how bad their relationship was in order to maintain his “Big Bad Chief” persona, but it didn’t change the fact that their affection for each other was essentially nil.  Though Kelso had seen it coming from a long way away and was largely (if not wholly) responsible in the first place, it had still been quite the adjustment, and he kept it quiet at the hospital for some time.

Perry was the first person he ended up telling about it.  A couple months after he and Enid had finalized their divorce, Jordan realized she was a lesbian, which brought about the end of her romantic relationship with Perry.  Unlike Kelso and Enid, the two of them remained close; they continued to coordinate the raising of their kids, and Perry was supportive of her relationship with Elliot (for Jordan’s sake, at least).  Despite this difference, Kelso and Perry found themselves bonding over the ending of their long-term relationships.  Their already-frequent meals together became habitual, and though they were arguing plenty and Perry continued to fight him on most of his decisions within the hospital, they were getting along quite well, and their hours left little time for them to have much of a social life elsewhere.  They were still ostentatious about proclaiming their enemy status, but the two of them had become friends in everything but name.

Over a year after he and Enid got divorced, Kelso resigned from his post as chief of medicine of Sacred Heart, but he remained at the hospital in his free time.  He hadn’t quite been able to pinpoint what it was that kept him coming back until Dr. Maddox got fired and he recommended Perry to take over the chief of medicine position.  The moment where he admitted his complete and utter faith in Perry…that’s when it all hit him.  He kept it locked up tightly at first—or, at least, he _tried_ to—as he was unsure how to proceed, but it was only a couple weeks more before he decided to pursue the feelings he realized he’d had for some time now…

***

_Kelso sat with two coffee cups, one in each hand, glancing around the brightly colored office that Perry now occupied as the chief of medicine.  He sipped the piping hot latte from the cup in his right hand, thinking again about the conversation he’d be having in the next few minutes.  A spike of anxiety hit him, but he took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself._

_“Come on, Bob,” he quietly reasoned with himself, “you’ve had to tell how many families about their dead loved ones?  You can ask Perry Cox out on a date.”_

_Suddenly, he became alert and his heart jumped as he heard the wonderful, grumbling voice of the man for whom he was waiting.  He stood up and turned toward the door, preparing to swallow his nerves, but as soon as Perry entered, a smile involuntarily consumed his face._

_“Got your latte, champ!” Kelso beamed as he gestured the white coffee cup in his left hand toward Perry._

_“Well, now, thank you,” Perry said as he grabbed the cup, evidently flattered by the gesture.  “Boy oh boy, you’re really digging the heck out of this whole ‘secret friendship’ thing, aren’t you?”_

_“More or less,” Kelso responded with a grin as he sat down again in front of Perry’s desk.  His smile relaxed as he took a breath.  “I actually came here to suggest that we change that up a little bit.”_

_“What,” Perry began, seating himself behind his desk, “you don’t want to keep it a secret?  I thought we established that that’s why_ I _bought the drinks this—”_

_“I was thinking the ‘friendship’ part,” Kelso interrupted, pausing to read Perry’s reaction._

_“I thought you—oh,” Perry stopped, realizing what Kelso meant.  Creasing his eyebrows, he opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again without a word._

_Kelso took a deep breath, then broke the silence.  “We work well together, Perry.  We always_ have _, we’ve just spent a long time too at odds with each other to see it, until now.”_

_Perry paused thoughtfully, but didn’t speak; Kelso pressed onward._

_“I mean, why do you think I’ve kept coming back to this damn hospital every day?”_

_“Honestly, I just…as_ sumed _it was for the muffins, Bob.”_

 _“Okay, the free muffins for life help,” Kelso admitted, “but no, I’ve been coming back here to see_ you _, you idiot.  Because, shocking as it may be, there’s nobody else I’d rather be spending time with.”_

_Perry’s eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized Kelso._

_“What?” Kelso inquired._

_“I’m just…trying to figure out why you’re in here talking to me when you should_ cuh _-_ lear _ly be undergoing treatment for the massive brain tumor that you evidently have,” Perry explained._

_“Ha ha,” Kelso retorted sarcastically._

_“I’m serious, Bob, you_ do _remember who you’re talking about, right?”_

_Kelso lowered his head and sighed, then lifted his gaze toward Perry again._

_“You know,” he started, eyeing Perry quizzically, “I notice that among all your sarcasm, you have yet to actually say how_ you _are feeling about this.”_

_He looked into Kelso’s eyes, his mouth curving upward in silent admission as he placed his hands on the desk in front of him._

_“You’re correct,” Perry sighed, “but it’s because it doesn’t change anything, Bob.  I mean, I could_ har _dly commit to Jordan, and even then, we couldn’t make it work.”_

_“Don’t be an idiot,” Kelso muttered under his breath, suppressing an eyeroll._

_“Beg your pardon?” Perry asked in disbelief._

_“I said,_ don’t be an idiot _,” Kelso repeated firmly.  “You’re looking at something that doesn’t matter and using it to throw yourself a pity party.  You and Jordan have an in_ cred _ibly close relationship and her sexuality says_ nothing _about_ your _ability to make a relationship work.  You’re just trying to come up with a flimsy excuse because you want to be miserable.”_

_“Oh, blow it out your ass, Bob.”_

_“Listen, Perry, if this isn’t something you want, tell me and I’ll walk away right now, but I’ve watched you do this to yourself for over 20 years, and just as you’ve always called me out on_ my _bullshit, I intend to do the same for you.”_

_Perry sighed, unable to find a counter to the argument.  After a few silent moments, Kelso spoke again, his voice soft._

_“I know you don’t think I’m aware of what I’m getting into here, but I_ am _.  It’s something that I_ want _to get into, because, for some stupid-ass reason, you are somebody I really_ like _spending time with.”  Kelso placed his right hand onto Perry’s and squeezed it softly as he smiled at him.  “If I were going to get sick of you at the first sign that you’re an arrogant jackass, I would’ve just fired you 20 years ago.”_

_The two men chuckled; Perry turned his right hand over and gave Kelso’s hand a light squeeze._

_“Honestly, Bob, I’ve been real happy that you stuck around here,” Perry confessed in a delicate voice.  “And I’m…” he trailed off, pausing.  “I feel that way, too.  The two of us make…a pretty good pair.”_

_“We do,” Kelso agreed, pausing for a moment as he smiled at Perry.  “And I think we should go see a movie this weekend.”_

_“Okay,” Perry responded with his own, hesitant smile.  “How about_ Taken _?  I hear that’s supposed to be good.”_

 _“_ Hard _ly_ _sounds like first date material to me.  I was thinking_ He’s Just Not That Into You _.”_

 _“Uh-uh, absol_ ute _ly not.  I am_ nawt _going to see that crap.”_

_“Oh, is that so?” Kelso challenged.  “We’ll just see about that…”_

***

Kelso let out a soft snort of laughter as he came back to the present.  Naturally, he had gotten his way; he could be persuasive when he wanted to be, and on top of that, Perry agreed on some level that a rom-com was the better movie for a date, even if it’s something he refused to admit.  And, although Perry wouldn’t admit it and Kelso didn’t call him on it at the time, Kelso noticed him enjoying the movie, even after all of his protests.

Despite having a history of being closed off, Kelso hadn’t had much difficulty investing himself in the relationship.  He’d spent so long having to play the bad guy, making hard decisions, and having to bottle up the guilt he felt about it all that, ever since he’d left the chief of medicine job, he had been giddy at the prospect of being able to be as expressive as he wanted.  Just as Perry and he had been keeping their friendship a secret, they agreed to keep their relationship relatively quiet at first to ease people into the idea, but that lasted for less than a week; they were sitting in the cafeteria back-to-back one day and trying to have a subtle conversation, and the moment Carla called them out on trying to hide their “friendship,” Kelso hadn’t been able to stop himself from correcting her before excitedly telling her and J.D. about his date with Perry at the movies.  Perry made a show of rolling his eyes, but Kelso caught him hiding a smile.

It worked as a nice balance, because Perry remained about as closed off as ever at the start.  He’d give his slight grins whenever Kelso would start to gush, and he used his affectionate nicknames more than usual, but publicly he was mostly just bickering with him, still.  It was _playful_ bickering, but nonetheless, his displays of overt affection were few and far between.

However, given their long history working together, they both went into it with a firm understanding of how the other functioned, and they were patient.  Kelso recognized that Perry was showing affection in his own way, and he also understood his reservations about marriage and his difficulty with serious relationships in general, so while Kelso gave the occasional nudge to help things along, he held himself back from pushing too hard.  Early on, he made his intentions clear to Perry and let him know that marriage was a long-term goal (he recognized that his marriage with Enid had ended due to the people involved and his own actions and failures, and it did not affect his perception of the institution itself), but he understood that it was a difficult concept for Perry to embrace; Perry in turn assured him that, while it would take him time, he was willing to consider the idea.

Meanwhile, although Kelso was open in the context of their relationship, Perry was aware of his difficulties with being vulnerable and seeking out help (admittedly something Perry had his own issues with), so Perry worked to be more active in confronting it when it seemed like there was an issue.  This was particularly tested three months into their relationship, shortly after their time in The Bahamas at The Janitor’s wedding.  Kelso wound up in the hospital with the stomach flu, and Perry became more affectionate than he had ever been thus far in their relationship, trying to take care of him and warning off the interns at penalty of death.  Kelso grew distant and snapped at Perry a few times in the process, and Perry sat down with him, worried that he hadn’t been giving him enough space.  Though Kelso initially brushed it off, he took Perry’s hand the next day and explained that he’d been on edge and pushing Perry away in order to try and treat himself, as he’d realized how much he missed being a doctor.  He also apologized to Perry as he expressed how much his caring treatment had meant.  It was then that he told Perry that he loved him for the first time.

Perry didn’t reciprocate immediately, and Kelso had expected it would take some time yet before he was able to do so.  But it was less than a week later, when they had been able to resume their morning routine at the hospital (the two of them would sit in silence in Perry’s office, Kelso on the couch eating muffins and reading the paper while Perry worked on paperwork and ate the blueberry muffin Kelso had brought him), that he suddenly looked up and broke the silence to say that he loved Kelso, too.

Kelso did eventually come back to work at Sacred Heart part-time, when a couple weeks had passed and it became clear that it had not just been a temporary wistfulness that made him miss being a doctor.  Though it placed the two in conflicting roles at the hospital again, Kelso only went directly to Perry on an issue if it was crucial, funneling the rest through J.D.  They had agreed ahead of time to try to keep hospital issues out of their relationship, and Kelso worked hard to be a sympathetic force in Perry’s life to help with the burdens he faced in the chief of medicine role.

The balance didn’t come immediately, but eventually the two of them got into a comfortable pattern.  Perry slowly became gentler with Kelso than he had been before, far more than he was with anyone else (though still primarily in private; he had a reputation to maintain, after all).  Being chief of medicine filled him with more hostility than he’d had previously, and it made for some tension between them, sometimes resulting in frustration for Kelso on his side of things as well.  But more often than not, Kelso was there with reassuring comments, a hand squeeze, or a soft kiss, just to remind Perry that he wasn’t alone, that somebody would always have his back.  And though he didn’t verbalize it explicitly, he felt that ardently; he had cared about Perry deeply from the start, but the longer their relationship lasted, the more it became clear to him that life with Perry was everything he would ever want.

He had been anxious about confessing that to Perry, concerned that it might pressure him or scare him off, but one night a little more than two years into their relationship, he did…

***

_“Perry, are you all right?”_

_“Fine, Bob,” Perry sighed as the two stepped through the front door of Kelso’s house, where they had been living together for eight months now._

_Kelso looked at the back of Perry’s head with a frown.  He had been in a mood the entire drive home, and Kelso had heard from Carla that he blew up on J.D., who was pressuring him to allow for continued treatment of Mrs. Vince’s pericarditis despite her lack of insurance._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“Nothing,” came Perry’s frustrated denial. “Just drop it.”_

_Kelso sighed.  “We’ve talked about this, Perry.  I screwed up when I was chief, and it blew all of my relationships to hell.  I mean, god knows I screwed up in every other way with Enid, but the chief of medicine crap made it a thousand times worse.”_

_Perry stopped in his tracks and gave a low grunt, turning around with a grimace._

_“Fine.  You want to know what’s wrong?  How about it’s been a long week and I can’t_ do _this anymore?  How about I’m sick of the damn hospital and everyone in it?  How about everything is telling me to bounce Mrs. Vince except for Dorian and,_ ya know _, fundamentally who I am as a person?”_

_“I’m sorry,” Kelso responded wistfully.  “Perry, it comes—”_

_“What, ‘it comes with the territory’?  Great, fantastic.  That makes me feel so-_ hoooo _much better.  Tell me again, why can’t one of the_ oth _er incompetents there be the one to deal with this crap?”_

 _After a beat, Kelso spoke again.  “I was going to say that it_ does _come with the territory, and I know it doesn’t make it any easier in the meantime, but I_ know _you can handle it and make the right decisions.  I’ve always been very sincere in saying that you were meant to have this job.  Nobody else at the hospital could handle it as well as you do.”_

_“I don’t know, Bob, you sure as hell did a good job playing Bastard in Chief and shutting out all of the excess,” Perry grunted._

_Kelso looked back at him with bewilderment for a moment before he responded._

_“You’re doing much better as chief of medicine than I did.”  He held up his hand when Perry looked up to protest.  “You_ are _.  Being in charge means you rarely ever get to win; you’re_ al _ways going to be making a decision that’s unpopular somewhere.  But you have more compassion as a doctor than I’ve ever seen in anybody else.”_

 _“Maybe so, but that’s exactly the_ prob _lem, Bobbo.  All of this bureaucratic…” he let out a deep, frustrated sigh as he dragged his hands down his face, unable to find the words to finish the thought.  “I_ can’t _juggle it all.  I_ can’t _be objective and focus on what’s best for the hospital.”_

 _“Perry,” Kelso began softly, “you know better than anyone how many people my ‘objectivity’ killed, and I can tell you that time doesn’t make that any easier to handle.  The hospital is doing fine, and your undying compassion is an a_ ma _zing strength that has saved_ so _many lives throughout your career and is con_ tin _uing to save lives.  It’s one of so many reasons that I love you, and it’s one of so many reasons why some part of me has loved you for_ years _, even when it made you a pain in my ass.”_

_“Admittedly, you made treating patients hell sometimes, and I may have been up your ass about it, but I know that you tried—”_

_“This isn’t a_ bout _me,” he interrupted, his words coming out quickly, desperate to make Perry understand.  “I’m not saying this because I want you to reassure me.  This is about_ you _.  It’s about you holding yourself to an impossible standard, it’s about you convincing yourself that this job is somehow making you inferior, it’s about the person you_ are _, it’s about the person you have_ al _ways been.  I see how this job eats away at you and I_ know _how hard it is to keep your head above water while doing it, but dammit, it will_ never _change who you are or how much I love you.  It doesn’t matter what_ hap _pens, it doesn’t matter what you_ do _, I will_ al _ways be here for you, as long as you want me here.”_

_Perry simply stared into Kelso’s light blue eyes for a moment with an unreadable expression, and Kelso stared back anxiously, unsure what his silence meant.  After a few moments, Perry finally spoke, a calm realization suddenly on his face._

_“I will,” he murmured breathlessly. “I mean—I’ll always want you here.”_

_Anxiousness turned to confusion on Kelso’s face as he tried to discern the meaning behind Perry’s expression, but he only had a moment before Perry grasped Kelso’s hands in his and spoke again._

_“Bob…will you marry me?”_

_Unable to process Perry’s words, Kelso took a moment to respond._

_“Perry, are you…are you_ sure _?  I don’t want you to—”_

 _“I’m positive,” Perry interrupted firmly.  “There aren’t a lot of people I can stand, and even fewer who can stand_ me _, but…here you are.  Here you are now, and here you are_ every day _.  That is…_ everything _to me, and it’s…it’s how I want it to stay.  I know I’ve never seen much value in marriage, but with you…”_

_Perry trailed off and swallowed, trying to bring words up to the surface.  Kelso squeezed his hands reassuringly, as he continued listening in awe._

_“With you, it feels right.  I know I’m not the easiest person to live with, but honest to god, Bob, I’ll give it my all if you want this, too.”_

_“Perry,” Kelso’s gravelly voice responded, shaky from emotion, “of course I do.”_

_After taking a moment to calmly exhale, Perry spoke again, relief palpable in his voice as a calm smile spread across his face.  “Good.  You’ve been a stubborn pain in my ass for over 25 years, and I don’t see any reason for that to end.”_

_“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Kelso said, unable to keep himself from beaming as he joked, “because I have every intention of annoying you for the rest of my life.”_

_Perry laughed, then moved his hands to gently cup Kelso’s face before kissing him gently, but passionately; he pulled away after a few moments and embraced Kelso, nestling his chin in the shorter man’s silver hair as he pulled him in to rest against his warm chest._

***

The two of them went down to the courthouse the next day; they’d both been married before, so a big ceremony felt unnecessary, and neither of them wanted their commitment to each other to be a spectacle for others to watch.  They asked Carla and Jordan to be there as their only witnesses, but Elliot insisted upon joining Jordan, and Carla was unable to prevent Turk and J.D. from joining her.  Naturally, J.D. attempted to give a lengthy, teary-eyed speech as self-proclaimed best man to them both.  (Perry let him get surprisingly far before he cut him off with a “Pipe down, Newbie.”)  They were initially denied a ceremony that day, warned that they’d need to book in advance in order to get one; however, Perry raised hell until the Deputy Commissioner finally agreed to marry them then, and so the two were betrothed.

It was with nearly six years of happily married life under his belt that Kelso had finally reached this cloudy morning.  His nostalgic reverie complete, he glanced again at his snoring husband.

 _Husband_ , he thought, unable to keep his face from twisting upward in a wrinkled smile, crow’s feet forming at the edges of his eyes.  No matter how long they’d been together, every day that he woke up beside the man he loved still left him feeling luckier than he had ever thought possible.

Rustling the sheets, Kelso leaned over and lightly touched Perry’s shoulder before kissing him softly on the lips, their morning stubbles tickling each other as their faces brushed; Perry’s snoring ceased, and he lifted his eyelids to groggily look back at his husband.

“Morning, Bobcat,” Perry muttered, then raised an eyebrow.  “Has anyone ever told you that you have te- _her_ rible morning breath?”

“Mm, you know, somebody _has_ mentioned it to me a few thousand times now,” Kelso smirked, lying on his side, using his right elbow for support as he pointedly raised an eyebrow, “somebody who has his _own_ case of morning breath and maybe shouldn’t be throwing stones.”

“Unlikely.  My breath, like the rest of me, is es _sen_ tially flawless,” Perry responded confidently, a smile breaking through as he grasped Kelso’s face and pulled him down into a longer, deeper kiss.

After a moment, Kelso pulled away from the kiss and draped his left arm over Perry’s bare abdomen as he rested his head upon his muscular chest.  Kelso sighed contentedly at the soothing thrum of his heartbeat as Perry wrapped his arms around him, gently stroking Kelso’s soft back with his fingertips.  Underneath the covers, the fabric of their boxers met as Kelso pressed his left leg up against Perry’s.

“D’you know what day it is today, Perry?”

“No,” he murmured.  “What day is it?”

“January 27th.  It’s been eight years since you accepted the chief of medicine job.”

“Ah.  So, more importantly, it’s been eight years since the day we can thank for leading us here.”

“Somehow, I think we would’ve wound up here one way or another,” Kelso pressed a light kiss to Perry’s chest before smiling up at him, “but it certainly was what got me to realize how I feel about you.”

“Sap,” Perry teased him.

“Grump,” he retorted.

“Says the man who re _fu_ ses to get a smartphone because they’re ‘too complicated’ and are ‘creepy.’”

“They _are_ , Perry!” he said seriously.  “They under _stand_ what you’re _say_ ing!”

“It’s okay, Bobbo,” Perry laughed, leaning down to kiss Kelso’s head.  “We’re _both_ grumps.  And not that I would _hee-hye_ ver admit it outside of this room, but I _might_ be a little bit of a sap, too.”

“Oh, you _de_ finitely are,” Kelso responded, gazing at his husband.

Perry grinned back, then groaned as his alarm clock began to ring.  “Unfortunately, unlike you, I do not have the day off, so…I should probably get moving.”

Kelso frowned, preparing to shift from Perry’s chest; Perry smacked his alarm clock to shut it off and began to throw the blankets off of himself with his one free hand, but the cold air of the room made him pause with the covers still in hand.  As he paused, the wind outside picked up, emphasizing the chill that lay beyond their bed.

“It _is_ an anniversary, of sorts,” Kelso proposed innocently.  “You _could_ just call in sick.”

Perry looked away from him to the clock, then looked back before dropping the covers again.

“Oh, Beelzebob, you are a _bad_ influence.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m cute, then.”

“Damn straight,” Perry smiled, grabbing his cell phone from his bedside table.  Flipping through his contacts, he tapped Carla’s name and put the phone on speaker.

“Hi, Carla,” he began, not attempting to alter his voice, “would you let everyone know that I am not feeling well and will not be at the hospital today?”

Kelso could almost _hear_ Carla’s eyes narrowing.

“That’s interesting, because you _sound_ fine,” came the suspicious reply.

“Oh, I’m _real_ ly not,” Perry said mock-seriously.  “My condition is _quite_ critical.  According to Bob’s diagnosis, I may not make it.”

Kelso silently chuckled at his husband, who looked away from the phone to give him a smirk and a wink in return.

“Mmhm, sure,” Carla said skeptically, interrupting their moment.  “Enjoy your day off, Dr. Cox.  You too, Bob.”

“Thank you, Carla,” Kelso chimed in.  “Give my best to Turkleton and Dorian.”

Perry tapped the screen, ending the call, and then lightly tossed the phone back onto the table before wrapping both arms around his husband again.

“Now, where were we?”

“I be _lieve_ we were talking about how much of a sap you are.”

“Watch it there, Bobbo, I just called in sick to spend the day with you,” Perry admonished jokingly.  “Don’t make me regret it.”

Kelso laughed.  “If you’d like, I can get up and make us some coffee and waffles as an apology.”

“I am…amenable to that,” Perry contemplated, but tightened his hold on Kelso when he started to move.  “But…not just yet.  Stay here.  For just a little longer.”

Kelso shifted his head to look at his husband with wordless adoration, a teasing grin beginning to form on his face.

Perry rolled his eyes as he fought off his own grin.  “Yes, I know, I am…a sap.”

“You are,” Kelso chuckled, “but you’re _my_ sap.”

“ _That_ I most _def_ initely am.”

The two of them lay there for a minute without speaking, unmoving aside from their breathing and Perry’s continued caressing of Kelso’s back, the room devoid of sounds other than the brush of wind in the trees outside, the jangling of wind chimes, and a distant train whistle.  Squeezing his eyes shut and holding Perry tighter, Kelso let out a deep, contented sigh.  Perry smiled down at his husband’s wrinkled face.

“So, Bobbo, what do you want to do today?”

“I don’t know,” he murmured, his eyes still closed.  “Whatever you want to do, big guy.  Though I could just stay like this all day.”

“Mm, me too,” Perry breathed.  “Al _though_ , if we’re going to stay in bed, I have some _oth_ er ideas as well…”

“Oh, _really_?” Kelso looked up, suggestively raising an eyebrow.  “I’d _love_ to hear them.”

A loud grumble in Kelso’s stomach betrayed him, causing Perry to laugh.

“ _Maaay_ be we should get some breakfast first.  Some mouthwash might not be a bad idea, either,” he teased.

“You’re probably not wrong about that,” Kelso admitted with a chuckle.  “But maybe just…a few more minutes.”

Perry calmly smiled down at his husband at the echo of his own prior sentiment; feeling Perry’s gaze on him, Kelso moved to look back into his stormy, blue eyes.  The two held the glance for a moment, breaking it as Perry softly pressed his lips onto Kelso’s.

“I love you, Perry,” Kelso said, settling back into his embrace upon his husband’s chest.

“I love you too, Bob,” Perry sighed, his mouth curving upward, “morning breath and all.”


End file.
